Zucchini and Crimini Street Tacos

I’ve got a favorite taco recipe to share that’s veggie-tastic! These street tacos are piled high with sautéed crimini mushrooms, zucchini, summer squash, onions, then sprinkled with salty panela cheese. This is just the way to use up this summer’s garden squash.

As a novice gardener, I never have the wherewithal to know what I can grow, and how much of it I should grow. I haphazardly plant vegetable seedlings each year and cross my fingers.

Some years I get lucky, and other years not so much.

Last year, I decided to plant zucchini and summer squash for the very first time.

I was excited to grow my own squash plants so I could harvest the squash blossoms for stuffing and pan frying. I never actually intended to have squash.

Little did I know that the squash I planted would really really like my yard and not want to stay small so I could harvest only the blossoms.

Instead, the plants grew, bloomed, and produced squash faster than I could pick the blossoms, and low and behold I had a mess of squash on my hands all summer. Several of them grew so large they looked like giant toes, about the size of a rolls of paper towels. I quickly learned why farmers pick them small… pleck!

Directions:

Chop the veggies and leave in separate piles. Mix the salt and spices in a small bowl and sprinkle evenly over all the veggies.

Place 1 tablespoon of butter in a large skillet and heat to hight heat. Once the butter is melted, add the onions and garlic. Saute' for 1-2 minutes until just barely soft. Remove from the skillet and add 2 tablespoons of butter. Once the butter is melted, add the mushrooms and saute' and stir until brown and cooked through, about 5-8 minutes. Remove and add the last tablespoon of butter to the skillet. Add the zucchini and summer squash to the skillet. Saute' and stir for 2-3 minutes until golden, but just barley cooked through and still firm.

To serve, place a tortilla on a plate (you can double them up for extra stability) and load it with veggies. Top each taco with a generous sprinkling of crumbled panela cheese. Serve warm.

I’ve never seen panela cheese or cuban seasoning in the supermarket (although I always pick up my favorite Columbian seasoning from a Cuban restaurant we frequent whenever we’re in Florida). Sounds fantastic Sommer!

I LOVE veggie-tastic recipes…and this one looks like a real winner! Can’t wait to give it a try…as soon as my neighbors donate some of their extra zucchinis (like they do every year just about this time). I love my neighbors!